Positive Thinking – getting rid of negative thoughts
How many of us fall into this trap? Do you struggle to understand if you are optimistic or pessimistic? Positive thinking has many benefits. It can help with your overall health and well-being, improved stress-management, lower levels of depression and anxiety and higher resilience to deal with stressful and/or traumatic experience. Some researchers firmly believe that positive thinking helps a person cope better with high stress situations which in turn reduces the negative effects of stress on the body. So let’s work on getting rid of or reducing our negative thoughts and replacing them with more positive thinking on a daily basis. Here are a few suggestions:
Identify a negative thinking pattern
At times, we don’t even realize we are being negative until someone close to us points it out or you take a step back and do some self-checks. Most times you don’t think you are being negative in the moment but when you look back on your day it occurs to you your negative thoughts were taking over and you didn’t even think to stop them. Identifying a negative thinking pattern is the first step to working on a positive outlook. There are several factors that can contribute to a negative thinking pattern. Some of us may personalize bad situations and feel like it’s their fault things went wrong. Some of us catastrophize situations and feel like more bad things are coming their way just because something didn’t go as planned. This is our negative thinking taking over.
Be self-aware
Check in with yourself several times a day so you can evaluate your thoughts and mental state. If you notice you are leaning towards negativity, try your best to instill some positivity in your day. Give yourself some time and most importantly permission to laugh at the little things. This will help reduce stress levels. If a negative thought crosses your mind, try your best to replace it with a positive and affirming thought. Think happy thoughts.
Be selective
Start by identifying who is a negative or a positive influence in your life. Surrounding yourself with positive people will be more conducive to a happy and healthy lifestyle. It is essential that the people in your life are supportive and helpful. This will be important to help keep you grounded and positive in stressful situations when you may question your ability to cope with the stress you are facing.
Implement a healthy lifestyle or fitness regime
Exercise and healthy eating can positively affect your mood and help you feel better physically. Plus, it’s good for you! When all else fails, diet and exercise are guaranteed to help us feel better. Simple changes can go a long way. Adding some physical activity to your day and opting for better food choices can elevate our moods and our minds.